I wish to congratulate Rep. Aaron Peña and Valley Veterans on their small success in getting a Veterans clinic in the Rio Grande Valley. The Rep mentions that some vets see this move as a "crumb". I urge our vets to see this as a big step forward. Yes, it would have been great to get a hospital, but you have to realize that it's on the way.

First, our local Veterans should realize that government is like cancer, it only grows and grows. You never hear about government cutting back. The cutbacks you hear about are cutbacks on growth, but not real cutbacks. Like your wife telling you she saved you money because she bought stuff on sale. She could have spent more. The same is true with government. Now it's a clinic with a certain fixed budget. Next year's budget will be bigger due to the high demand of Veteran health services in the Rio Grande Valley. Every year will have a bigger budget. Within a few years, a clinic will no longer be adequate for the size of the budget. We'll need a hospital to meet the demand for services. Then will we see the hospital come.

I am sympathetic to our Veterans in the Rio Grande Valley. Recently my father had heart problems and he had to travel to San Antonio for VA care. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, his condition could not wait as long as the VA doctors asked him to wait so that he had to have care here in the McAllen Heart Hospital. The point is, imagine having to wait a month to have heart surgery in a city 250 miles away while you can't work and have no income. I think our Veterans may be able to deal with having to wait, but having to travel for the privilege is insulting.